Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Ledyard visit...

School is NOT in session at the Ledyard Center School, meaning all those cars in the parking lots are voters coming out in huge numbers.

"It's been fantastic," said Moderator Patricia Weiner. "It's just been steady since 6 a.m. this morning - and everything is running smoothly."

There are five voting booths at the school, each one filled with a voter - a dozen more voters waiting on line for a booth to open, and even more voters at the door of the gym waiting to register.

Outside the school, Karen Younger is manning a table selling raqffle tickets for the Ledyard High School non-alcoholic, drug free granduation party - and business has been good. "They sold ab out 50 tickets before I got here at 10, and we've sold another 10," she said.

For $10 a ticket, you get the schance to win a $2,500 gift certificate from Klingerman Travel - and use it to go anywhere. (I'm already thinking where I might use it - because now they've sold 11 tickets.)

Ledyard is still using the old mechanical voting machines, but Bjaorn Otterness said he wished the town was using one of the new optical scanners. Confined to a wheelchair, the newere technology would make voting easier for him.

As for voters and the election, lots of mixed reviews.

Steve Eichelberg, an unaffiliated voter with self-described conservative leanings, said he wasn't motivated by the call for change in the direction of the country, casting his vote for U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman and U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons.

But Chris Hanera said he was looking for change, casting his ballot for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Ned Lamont and Democratic congressional challenger Joe Courtney - even though he has supported Simmons in the past.

"I think it's time for change in Washington," he said, "And what I'm trying to do is send a general message to Washington that it's time they do things differently."